I saw that replay plenty of times. Jenkins’ main contact was shoulder to ribcage. He was aiming at the guy’s chest, and that’s what he hit. His head is located pretty near his shoulder, and out in front of it. It hit the runner in the chest, and not spearing. The helmet to helmet contact was real, but glancing; the top of his helmet hit the bottom of the runner’s helmet. You had to see it in slow motion to see that there was helmet to helmet contact at all.
It’s not OK when someone gets hurt like that. I struggle with watching football because of plays like that. It’s reasonable to argue that the entire game should be illegal. But if you are going to play tackle football with big, fast guys wearing a lot of armor, no one has figured out how to make certain hits like that don’t happen.
Re: Lost players. It wasn’t so much the number of Eagles players that were injured as their quality. Their leading rusher (and key third down back and punt returner), both the star cornerback for whom they traded their best receiver to shore up a shaky secondary and the star rookie cornerback they drafted, the defensive captain and signal-caller and (for a while) his replacement, a Pro Bowl defensive lineman, their special teams captain, their All-Pro left tackle (for whom they had no viable replacement), their kicker, their star quarterback.
I think Foles was fantastic…and the touchdown catch was the icing on the cake.
The Pats are a great team, but I’m very very happy for Philly. How terrific that this team has this championship for the first time.
I seldom watch a whole football game, but I watched this one. It was fabulous! Not a washout for either team. Loved it. And really, if Brady’s last pass had been complete…the Pats probably would have won…and he was mighty close!
For me…the fun was two eagles players graduated from my HS in Ohio…long after I did… but still. Both starters. Jason Kelce and Sheldon Gibson. Can’t imagine that any other HS was represented in the Super Bowl with two players!
Butler wasn’t injured, it was an inexplicable “Did not play - coach’s decision”. Why was he even on the active roster if they weren’t going to play him? It made no sense to me.
Belichick’s explanation, as usual, was “we thought it gave the team the best chance to win”, which is BS, but no one in the media (especially the local media) has the guts to call him out on these non-answers to try to pin him down.
I get that, but on the other hand these athletes have world-class reflexes, coordination, and body awareness that are almost incomprehensible to us mere mortals. And maybe it takes a little time, but they can certainly adjust their play, they have to do that every year as penalties and points of emphasis change. In this case it wasn’t split-second IMO, Jenkins had plenty of time to decide to come in lower and actually do it. He wanted the big hit.
Quite possibly BS, but Kevin Harlan (radio annoiuncer for SB) said on the local radio show this morning that Butler was hurt in the AFC Championship game and may not have been listed on the injury report, which Belichick often does to hide player injuries. Either way, next man up.
Another a different note, I think we may have seen the end of the Patriots “dynasty.” Those ESPN reports about the relationship between Kraft, Belichick and Brady could be true. Brady will be 41 and he’s looking alot less spry than he used to, especially when he went out for that pass (dive, man, its the SB). Yes, I understand he’s the MVP. Also, the Pats are losing Patricia and may be losing McDaniels and their D needs a total rebuild. Just sayin’.
No. The Eagles had a better game plan, played better, coached better, and completely deserved the victory, and my hat’s off to them. I’ve said that repeatedly, and I said before the game that the Eagles had a good chance to win the game.
I don’t even have an issue with the officiating in this game. I said earlier, “blaming the refs is for losers”, and I believe that. The Patriots didn’t lose because of the officials, they lost because their defense was horrible. But I do get annoyed with people who for some reason think the refs are deliberately giving the Patriots an advantage. It can’t possibly be that one team is better disciplined, better coached, and actually commits fewer penalties because of this. It can’t just be random variation in which way close calls go.
No, it’s gotta be some league-wide conspiracy to get the Patriots another title. The same league that suspended one of its biggest stars for four games, has docked them multiple first round picks and fined them over a million dollars, suddenly is now having the refs try to tilt games their way. If anything it is sour grapes against the Patriots.
Unless Belichick somehow finds a starter-caliber qb in the later rounds of the draft, it’s all going to be over in a year or two, especially if Gronk retires. And his record drafting qbs is actually not that great - most of the qbs he’s drafted have not had much success in other places. And I don’t think Belichick is going to coach that much longer.
So no, I have no expectations that the dynasty will continue for much longer.
Browns actual record is bad enough. No reason to make it worse than it actually is.
2017 0-16
2016 1-15
2015 3-13
2014 7-9
2013 4-12
So over the past 5 seasons, they have won 15 games. 4 over the past 3 seasons. Trend is down the past 3 seasons but I am confident that will not continue.
In my opinion this was a great game. I had no one I was rooting for so I could enjoy it emotion free. I thought both teams played a great game. There was one punt the entire game, few turnovers, relatively few penalties and with the exception of the point after touchdowns most positions played well. Both teams played aggressively. Foley was amazing. New England can say they were beat not that they didn’t play well and lost. I really enjoyed and frankly didn’t expect to.
The Browns aren’t nearly as bad as their record, and they have such a stockpile of money and draft picks they could get good in a hurry.
When was the last time a team had the #1 and #4 picks in the same draft? Ever? This could be two franchise-level players in one draft.
Their coach is a question mark, but I think he deserves another year. :o3
Interesting if true, but why give up the roster spot just to play tricksies? And Butler acted like he got completely blindsided by the decision, he was in tears on the sideline. Seems like BB might have out-thought himself.
Nah, that’s about how he’s always looked when he tries to run. He’s got backup offensive lineman speed.
He seems like the real deal, and a total steal. And he wrecked the draft pick that the Patriots got - what should have been #1 or #2 in the second round is now #12 or something like that? Dang! Of course he also wrecked the 49ers 1st round pick, too.
Give it another year before you get too excited though, look how Prescott regressed this year.
One rumor had the Browns offering their #4 1st-round pick for him… if that’s the case I really don’t understand why BB traded him to the 49ers. It’s like he’s losing is edge or something. :-??
The last “great” Cleveland QB was Bernie Kosar, who coincidentally, was benched by Bill Belichick in 1993 and I believe played his last game in Cleveland that year. Cleveland has been a dumpster fire, including this year, when they failed to make a trade because of a paperwork snafu.
At least the team formerly known as the Browns, the Baltimore Ravens, won a couple Super Bowls.
The 49ers draft pick will either be #9 or #10, as an FYI. At the time, I thought they gave the Pats just a little too much and should have given them their 2nd pick in the 2nd round, at the end of the round. And that’s why I’m not a GM.
I’d like to think Belichick was doing Jimmy G and Mike (the dad) Shanahan a favor, by sending him to SF. First, you get him out of the conference and you pair him with an offensive-minded young coach. And I think Belichick likes the Shanahans, because Mike (the dad) Shanahan may have defended Belichick in the the Spygate ordeal.
And for the last playoff victory the Browns had, they were coached by… Bill Belichick. The first SB the Ravens won was largely built by Bill Belichick.*
The 49ers have also been a dumpster fire the last 15 years or so (I mean, Jim “the Mic Rula” Tomsula???), with the exception of the Harbaugh years. If Garoppolo hadn’t come along, they would likely have only 3 or 4 wins in the last two years.
A handful of players, and the right coach, can turn a team around in a hurry.
ETA: okay, maybe not so much, it was 5 years after the move.
When has Belichick ever done anyone a favor or been nice to a player? He is normally stone-cold when it comes to this stuff. He cut a team captain the week before a season opened. He consistently trades players a year or two before they decline or he decides he doesn’t want to pay them.
Out of conference means they play once every 4 years. Into another division means once every 3 years, unless that team starts consistently winning the division (assuming the Patriots continue to win their division). Not that big a difference.
He can’t be running like he did years ago, say when he was 25. I know I can’t. And I actually run. =))
Yep, the 49ers have been a dumpster fire. But at least they won 5 Super Bowls. The Yorks are terrible. And Tomsula and Chip Kelly were awful too. Nothing to argue there. I liked Harbaugh. I liked him when he coached at Stanford and of course with the 49ers. I wish we would have kept him as the coach. But that’s ancient history now.
Even when the 49ers were 1-10, this past season, they were still playing hard. Brian Hoyer was really bad and while C.J. Beathard was tough as nails, he was a rookie and he played like one.
